The Rain Fell As Her Heart Did
by Swmrgrl87
Summary: Life is made up of defining moments. No matter how big or small the moment may be there are always events in life that can be pinpointed as times that have changed someone's life. What happens when Emily, happily in a relationship with Maya meets the one and only Paige McCullers? AU. Rated M for future purposes.
1. Chapter 1

**-A Note: Hey everybody! I told you I'd be back! Here's the start of a brand new story. I don't have this one completely planned out like the other one so I don't know if chapters will come as quickly but I did want to get something out to you guys. Please comment as always. I love reading them, good or bad. I hope you all enjoy! **

Life is made up of defining moments. No matter how big or small the moment may be there are always events in life that can be pinpointed as times that have changed someone's life. For some it's a graduation or maybe a promotion that allows them to realize that all their hard work paid off in more ways than they could imagine. For others, it's the simple unexpected act of a stranger that triggers a deeper realization of what human interaction means to them. For some however, it's when their eyes first connect with another's and in that fraction of a second they know their life will never be the same.

It's a gloomy and ordinary Friday evening for Emily Fields. She's thankful for the light September mist falling outside of her coffee shop forcing the normally steady stream of patrons filing in and out to be nonexistent. Normally, she'd be too busy to register her own thoughts but today it seems as though everyone is taking advantage of the excellent excuse to be cooped inside and huddled together with their girlfriends and boyfriends. She's about half way through her shift when the bell rings signaling a new customer. A smile creeps on her face when she directs her gaze towards the door to see the dark-haired and skinned girl walking in her shop. The girl returns her smile as she continues to walk towards Emily.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the sight of you in that little apron," the girl declares with a grin. When she reaches Emily, she pulls her in for a short but loving kiss. She knows her displays of affection towards the taller dark-haired girl need to be kept brief at the woman's place of employ. The last thing she wants to do is get Emily fired. Especially, since she's already almost done it once since they've started dating. It was the first time she had come to see her girlfriend at work and the sight of Emily in that cute little apron and her hair pulled back into a messy pony tail was just too much for the shorter girl to handle. She marched right up to Emily and pulled her in for a long lingering kiss right in the middle of the shop, making it very difficult for the tall dark-haired barista to balance her full tray of empty dishes. Had Emily not been able to hold onto that tray, it's very likely she could've been in more trouble than receiving just a warning.

"Maya… what are you doing here? I thought you had an evening class," Emily questions, once their lips part from their chaste kiss, a smile still drawn across her face. She hadn't been expecting this pleasant surprise. In fact, Emily was sure she was going to be in for a long, boring evening alone.

"I do have a class. I was just on my way," Maya answers as she scans her stunning girlfriend's appearance. She swears that Emily could pull off a burlap sack as a fashion statement if she wanted to but there is just something about the way her legs stretch out from beneath that little red apron tied low on her hips that drives her crazy in all the right ways. "I just wanted to stop in and say 'Hi'. How long do you work tonight?"

"I close tonight so I'll be here late," the raven-haired girl sighs out. Closing shifts where always difficult no matter if it was slow going or busier than a bee hive in spring. In one case, she would be out of her mind bored, having nothing to do but pretend to clean up the shop over again for the fifth time that evening until someone came in and interacted with her for all of two minutes to order their coffee. If she was busy though, as she normally is on Fridays, she wouldn't have time to do her other duties required to close shop and of course she would be there much later than she honestly would like. It's not that she doesn't like her job because in fact she really loves it. It's an excellent job to have while she's attending classes at nearby Hollis College. It honestly wasn't a hard decision for her to want to stay in Rosewood after High School. All of her friends had either decided to stay in town and study at Hollis as well or attend universities close by and it was nice to have them close. Even after two years, she still doesn't regret her decision at all. Plus it's nice that her girlfriend is here and starting her junior year as well. In fact, Emily feels as though her life couldn't get any better.

"Do you want me to stop back and keep you company after class? I mean I can just do homework or you know stare at the attractive staff," Maya playfully jokes with a wink.

"You know I would love that but it's Friday. Don't you usually have that art club you go to?"

"Damn, you're right. I forgot," the shorter girl replies suddenly remembering her extra commitments to her chosen area of study. "Well tomorrow I'm all yours, deal? Isn't it your day off?" Emily smiles and nods happy to know she would be spending some much needed time with her girlfriend. They've both been so busy that they've barely seen each other over the last week. With classes starting up again and their work schedules conflicting, it was going to be difficult until they were able to get back into a routine again.

"It's a deal," she agrees giving her shorter girlfriend another short peck. "Have fun in class."

"You know I always do," Maya replies before turning around and disappearing through the door with a little playful wave, leaving Emily alone again in the shop.

Emily's evening seems to be taking forever. It's unusually slow, even for a rainy day so she's thankful for the couple just left, giving her something to do. She takes her time busing the table, much longer than usual, all the while staring out the window at the lightly falling rain. It's falling so lightly in fact that it would be difficult to tell it's raining at all without paying close attention to the tiny ripples in the puddles on the street. As she stares out the window, nonchalantly wiping down the table, a dark figure in the edge of the window catches her eye: a passerby strolling through. Their eyes meet for a brief moment as the walker, a girl with long brown hair and her collar pulled up tight on her neck walks past Emily's spot in the window. As soon as she arrived, she was gone, continuing her way down the dim and deserted street becoming just a dark and retreating figure, leaving Emily peering after her through the misty window.

It was odd that Emily had never seen the girl before. Because she has lived in Rosewood her entire life, she knew pretty much everyone who lived in town but the beautiful brunette stranger is a mystery to her. She was in fact stunning from what Emily could see but she was also gone now so Emily dismisses the stranger with a small shake of her head and returns to her work with the table. With the table clear and the rest of the shop still clean from lack of use, Emily turns her attention to the coffee bar and does her best to pretend to be working. Her attention is on wiping down the counter again when she hears the bell signaling the end of her boredom for at least the next five minutes. What she's not expecting is the feeling she experiences in her stomach, the moment she looks up and views the most beautiful and alluring brown eyes, she's ever seen. The eyes are attached to an equally beautiful woman with long brown flowing locks, the mist apparent on her hair like dew drops on the grass at dawn. Her black jacket is also covered in water stains, with the shoulders being a shade darker than the rest of the jacket, her collar still pulled up around her neck. The mystery stranger just walked into her store.

"Umm hello, how can I help you?" Emily asks clearing her throat. She can't figure out why she suddenly feels so flustered. Sure the woman is beautiful but she's also a complete stranger and who knows if she's even gay. Plus, Emily has a girlfriend that she loves.

"Actually, I don't know what I want. Do you have any suggestions?" the mysterious girl says with an infectiously piercing grin. Her voice is deep and raspy making the girl even more attractive to Emily. She would never do anything to jeopardize her relationship with Maya, but there was no denying she was instantly and utterly attracted to the brunette with the immediately striking personality and swoon-worthy smile.

"Well that depends," she replies, returning the girl's smile, "Do you like something darker or sweeter?"

"How about somewhere in the middle?" The girl says leaning forward with her elbows on the counter a very large grin on her face. Was this girl flirting with Emily? Maybe the stranger was in fact gay and into her. Emily internally reminds herself that it doesn't matter. She has Maya and she definitely doesn't want to ruin that because of some stranger that makes her knees go slightly weak when she looks into her eyes. Emily takes a second to visibly think about what she could make for the brunette beauty. Her lips scrunch up and to the side with her eyes briefly scanning the ceiling.

"Can I surprise you?" She asks with a mischievous looking grin. She pauses, scanning the woman's face as the girl obviously contemplates the idea of this barista making a mystery drink for her. Emily's about to start suggesting various drinks she could make instead when the girl speaks up.

"Sure, I'm adventurous. Why not?" She finally affirms with another flash of a smile looking directly into Emily's eyes. The dark-haired barista suddenly finds it hard to breathe. _'What IS it about this girl? I don't even know her name,' _she thinks to herself.

"Wonderful. I promise you won't be sorry," Emily reassures with a smile before turning around and beginning to make the drink. Normally, Emily would focus all her attention on the task at hand; interacting with the customer only here and there but in this case there was something about this girl that was drawing her to be inquisitive. "I'm Emily by the way," she offers with a shy grin.

"Paige," the woman reveals, "Paige McCullers."

"It's nice to meet you Paige," Emily replies with a smile. '_Paige McCullers, what are you doing to me?' _She wonders as she stirs the almost complete drink. When she turns around she sees Paige still leaning on the counter, her eyes fixed purposefully on the barista. The smile on the brunette's face seems, to Emily, to have decided to make itself a permanent fixture on the already stunning face. Emily can only imagine what the girl could be thinking. Only minutes ago, when Paige passed by the shop, she seemed almost sullen. Was talking to Emily what was making this beautiful girl smile? No matter what the cause Emily decided right then and there that Paige McCullers should always be smiling. "Here try this…" The barista says sliding the drink across the counter for the girl to try.

"No poison right?" The brunette inquires teasingly. Emily shakes her head and giggles at the comment. Emily can't believe the connection she's feeling between the two of them. It is as if the room suddenly electrified the moment Paige walked in. The more they talk, the higher the voltage gets, to the point Emily wonders if she might in fact be electrocuted in the process. With the shake of Emily's head as a sufficient answer, Paige raises the straw to her lips with a single raised eyebrow, cautiously taking a sip as to add to the charade of her suspicion towards Emily's secret drink. "Wow this is absolutely amazing! What is it?" She immediately takes another sip, pleasantly surprised at the positive results of letting a complete stranger make her a completely random drink.

"It's my own concoction," Emily states with a grin. "I call it 'A Cup of Heaven'."

"Well you're right it's definitely delicious," Paige offers, taking another sip. Her eyes seem to refuse to break from Emily's. "Do you work here a lot during the week or is it only a part time gig?"

"I work almost every day, all day," Emily remarks as she starts to clean up her mess from the drink making. "Do you come here often? I don't believe I've seen you in here before."

"This is my first time here. I just moved here actually, transferred to Hollis for my junior year. I was out and decided I didn't feel like going home yet so I went for a walk. Your shop seemed really cozy as I passed so I decided I'd stop in. I'm really glad I did," Paige explains with a smile, simultaneously dipping her head and fiddling with the rim of her cup. It's probably the cutest thing Emily's ever seen and she really needs to stop thinking about it.

"Hollis huh? My girlfriend and I both attend there. What are you studying?" Emily states trying to put her mind once again on her girlfriend. She immediately wishes she didn't mention her out loud though, when the smile disappears from Paige's face the moment she utters the hint at her relationship status.

"Yeah I like it so far there. I'm an English Studies Major right now," the brunette replies, looking at her watch. "Crap, I didn't realize the time. I really should go. How much do I owe you?" The statement catches Emily off guard because of the sudden urgency behind it. She wasn't expecting the mood to shift so quickly. Suddenly the atmosphere felt rushed and tense.

"It's on the house," Emily says with a cautious smile, trying her best to salvage the mood. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. With a quick "_Thanks", _Paige smiles again but this time with what can only be described as a tinge of disappointment before turning around and heading out the door into the now heavily falling rain. Emily is unable to move as she watches the door click closed behind the brunette beauty, who wanted out so quickly that the pouring rain didn't even faze her.

"What the hell just happened?" Emily sighs out to the empty room, her mind now racing with the confusion of a million questions stemming from the interaction she just had. The biggest question though? Why was it that this mysterious girl is now the only thing she can manage to think about?


	2. Chapter 2

**-A Note: Hey readers! Here is chapter 2! I hope you all like it! Please comment and review as always! **

"What the fuck was that McCullers?" Paige mutters to herself as she walks down the abandoned street. The heavy rain seeps into her clothes as she continues on the path through the town square to her apartment. She's more than confused at what just happened. Why did she react that way? She's been turned down before, multiple times in fact so why did the fact that this one particular girl had a girlfriend matter? Why did she feel the need to leave the moment she knew the barista was unavailable?

Because her heart stopped the moment she saw Emily in that window. The moment their eyes met through the glass, with the mist falling gently on her as she walked past, Paige knew her life would never be the same. She knew within a millisecond that she would never be able to forget her eyes being drawn from the shimmering lights being reflected in the sidewalk wet from the rain to the light spilling warmth from the coffee shop. Looking up, Paige found the most beautiful woman she's ever seen in her life and her world stopped, even though she continued walking. She, the girl full of confidence, suddenly felt nervous. The tall, raven-haired girl was gorgeous but there was just something about her that Paige couldn't pinpoint as to why she found her so intriguing with only one very short look. As she continued to walk in the chilly, light rain, she could only imagine her future regret if she didn't at least try to talk to the beautiful girl with the dark but piercing eyes. What was the worst that could happen? She could not be gay or not into her and that would be ok. She was just another girl right? Paige could never have predicted how very wrong she was.

She promised herself that if the coffee shop was still open by the time she reached the end of the street and back that she would go in a talk to the stunning woman with the cute red apron. Whether something happened or not didn't matter. It was all about the experience and she would come out of it with a delicious cup of coffee at least. What Paige wasn't prepared for was the inexplicable electricity she now felt. Walking into the shop felt like walking into her future for some mysterious reason. This feeling was unexplainably explained by deep dark eyes. Looking into the barista's eyes was honestly the most full-filling, confusing, comforting, nerve-racking and wonderful feelings Paige had ever felt in the entirety of her life. There was no doubt in Paige's mind that the raven-haired beauty would somehow change her life.

Everything seemed to be going well for Paige as her interaction with barista continued. Learning Emily's name, Paige decided, was arguably one of the best moments of her life. No the girl didn't offer her last name even though Paige had, but it didn't matter. The word was barely finished forming on her lips when 'Emily' became Paige's favorite name.

The brunette was sure things were going well for her. There's was obviously a connection between them. Paige felt an indescribable pull towards Emily. The type of pull that Paige knew she wouldn't be able to break no matter how hard she tried because it was the same kind of pull planets experience. Her eyes were transfixed on Emily's slightest movements. Within a few minutes, Paige had the slight circular motion of the barista's wrist that it took to stir the drink committed to memory. She couldn't help her stare moving lower every time Emily turned around either. Maybe it was shallow of her but she couldn't help it, Emily's ass should just be considered a work of art as far as Paige was concerned.

There was just something about her though besides her exquisite aesthetics however that drew Paige to her. Her smile was infectious and her eyes were alluring in a way Paige had never experienced before. Paige was sure that if she devoted the remainder of eternity forever wandering about the farthest reaches of Emily's eyes, she would be completely happy and utterly content. Maybe that's why she felt the pit in the depth of her stomach when the raven-haired barista admitted she had a girlfriend. Maybe that's why even now, walking in the rain pouring so hard she could hear the pound of each drop falling on her head, that she feels completely and utterly defeated.

"Damn it McCullers! She's just a girl!" She says aloud in an effort convince herself. "Just _one_ girl" She's not successful. Paige had never felt defeated by being rejected before. She's always been so confident that love would find her and if she was turned down then well, perhaps it just wasn't supposed to be an experience she was meant to have. Emily was different: she was going to be a factor in Paige's future. That was no doubt about it. It didn't seem possible that she could have such an instantaneous connection with someone for Emily to only be a passing moment in her life.

By the time she reaches the front door of her apartment on the second top floor of her building, Paige is fairly certain she could wring out her skin if she wanted to. There isn't a dry spot on her body. There wasn't going to be any escape from that type of rainfall. But, she wasn't the type of girl to use an umbrella. She enjoyed the feeling of the water dripping from the tips of her hair being slicked onto her forehead. The way the droplets grow larger as she watches them fall towards her upturned face soothes her. But now, standing dripping in the hallway, confused by the coffee-shop-goddess, she felt more vulnerable than relaxed.

"Please don't be home," Paige pleads in a hushed whisper to the door. She likes her roommate but she can be a bit inquisitive. They've known each other for the little over a month that it's been since school started and Paige knew within the course of a week that her roommate liked to know every detail that was going on around her. She was so curious in fact that Paige was sure, the girl would excel at being a private investigator if she really wanted to. However, Paige was not in the mood to answer the barrage of questions she was destined to receive. All she can do is hope as she closes her eyes for a brief moment while turning the handle of the door.

"Where have you been?" She hears the moment the door swings fully open. Her roommate sits with her profile to the door, her eyes still fixed on the piles of books and papers strewn haphazardly across the table. Her tone is not motherly or demanding but rather inquisitive to no surprise. It's a genuine question but it is one Paige was hoping she didn't have to answer in depth. Maybe, just this once, the brunette would let her go with minimal digging. Something told Paige that despite her wishing, that wasn't going to happen.

"I… uh… went for a walk," Paige replies as she peels her black jacket from her pruning skin and hangs it up by the door. She takes off her shoes and awaits the rest of the questions to come from the lack of satisfaction she's sure her roommate has with her response. Paige is making a significant effort to keep her puddle concentrated on the tile in front of the door when the other brunette glances up mid-sentence.

"A walk? I thought it was rain… Oh... hrmph," the girl scoffs, trying her best to hold back her giggles at the sight of a dripping wet Paige. "Wait hold on," she continues turning away from Paige and leaving the room. Paige stands patiently on the tile, awaiting the return of her roommate. The girl reappears a few moments later with two towels, sweatpants and t-shirt in hand. "Here, try not to drip…. Everywhere." She hands a towel and the clothes to Paige, dropping the other towel to the ground on top of the growing puddle.

"Thanks," Paige remarks as she starts to dry off her hair. When her roommate stands up and walks across the room satisfied that the extent of the puddle is cleaned up, Paige changes her clothes quickly. She's skeptically of her roommate's silence. With the majority of her body dried off, minus the slight drip from her hair, Paige crosses the room to sit on the couch across from the television. It's been a long evening indeed and she wonders if she might actually get the relaxation she needs to process the events of the evening. The peacefulness doesn't last long.

"So… How did you come upon the demeanor of a drowned rat this evening roomie?" The curious brunette questions as she sits down next to Paige. Paige rolls her head back onto the couch and sighs deeply. She decides it's useless to delay the girl's curiosity any longer.

"Like I said, I went for a walk." Paige replies, hoping the girl won't dig too deep into her agitated demeanor. Paige knows her answer is insufficient when her roommates give her nothing but a raised eyebrow in response. "I stopped into that coffee shop in the square. There was this girl there and I was… Enamored I guess." Paige looks down at her hands as she speaks, a small grin on her face as she recalls the feeling in the pit of her stomach as she talked with Emily earlier that evening. Paige had made it clear to her roommate from the moment they met that she was a lady lover and her roommate made it very clear from the same moment that she didn't care as to what Paige's sexual orientation was. As long as Paige picked up after herself and didn't distract her from her studies, she didn't care who Paige dated.

"You stopped by The Brew huh?" The girl says taking a drink of her coffee that she had brought over when she sat down. She had brought one for Paige as well even though Paige hadn't touched it. For one, the coffee was an all-too-recent reminder of her failed conservation with the beautiful barista and for two, she really wasn't sure how the other brunette was able to sleep with the large amount of caffeine she regularly consumed. She was almost never without a coffee cup in hand. "Was Emily working?"

Paige's head snaps up at the mention of her name. How did her roommate know Emily? Paige knows her roommate grew up here in Rosewood just like Emily did but was Rosewood that small that they knew each other? An understanding grin grows on her roommate's face as the brunette makes the connection. "That's who your crush is, isn't it?" She asks, sitting up straighter. "You like Emily! Oh this is good." The brunette looks down with an amused look on face as if she is contemplating how amazing it is that this is such a small town. Or maybe she was contemplating the possibilities of having this dirt on her roommate.

"Wait… How do you know Emily?" Paige questions with raised eyebrows. It was weird for her to experience the smallness of the world. She had come from a large city in California to be closer to her parents who had moved here after Paige had left for college. She had heard that in a town like this, everyone knows everyone but was her roommate and Emily included in that as well?

"Emily Fields? She and I have known each other forever. She's one of my best friends. Unfortunately for you, unless something has changed in the last twenty-four hours, I'm pretty sure she and Maya are still together," Paige's roommate replies. Paige can hardly believe her luck. If she plays her cards right, she might be able to find out more about Emily then she imagined she could without making a fool of herself by going to the coffee shop every day. She now had a wealth of Emily-based knowledge just sitting across from her in their living room. Maybe she and Emily could at least be friends if anything. There was no doubt that she was going to use this resource to the best of her ability. But first, she needed to be sure her roommate wouldn't be running to Emily and spoiling any of her chances of getting to know Emily at all by spilling her secret crush to the barista.

"Look you can't tell her anything ok? I think we could be friends and I fully accept that she has a girlfriend. I just find her very attractive. I don't want to get between her and anyone ok?" She continues to plead with her eyes as her roommate seems to contemplate the pros and cons of telling Emily the little she knows about Paige's affections. Paige begins to grow anxious at the other brunette's prolonged silence.

"Spencer Hastings, if you don't do me any more favors ever again in my entire life, at least give me this… as your roommate."

"Ok, ok. I won't tell Emily that you were or are… enamored," Spencer finally replies. "But… I am going to tell her I know you. She is my best friend after all." Paige gives the girl a nod, satisfied with the result. With Spencer's questions now currently satisfied the brunette roommate returns to the table to continue her studying leaving Paige to dream about the next time she would see the dark-haired girl of her dreams, Emily Fields, again.


	3. Chapter 3

5:47 AM

The minutes of each passing hour drag by slowly, the volume of each tick of the clock seemly getting louder and louder the more Emily tries to sleep. Her mind races, not with thoughts of the cold emptiness on the other side of the bed due to Maya's unexplained absence, but rather with an alluring woman named Paige. Those intriguing eyes and flashing smile haunt her. They are there as she shuts her eyes, in desperate need of sleep, as if the image of her piercing brown eyes is tattooed to the back of Emily's eyelids, making it increasing impossible to sleep. Opening her eyes offers no relief either. Those eyes seem to peer at her out of the darkness. Everywhere she looks she sees the stunning brunette.

She pulls her thoughts forcefully to Maya. Maya is the one she should be focusing on. She loves the eccentric and free-spirited girl she calls her girlfriend. Emily suddenly becomes extremely aware of the emptiness beside her, as if the emptiness was growing to the point that it very well may push her off the bed. It's true, this is not the first time that Maya has stayed out to all hours of the evening without notifying Emily of her whereabouts. It used to bother her immensely.

_"Where have you been?"_ _a voice demands from the darkness. Maya had barely made it through the door as quietly as she could muster. She was sure that she hadn't made a peep. She knew Emily was going to be angry with her. This was the third time in a week that she had stayed out till four in the morning. Her girlfriend must have stayed up in wait for her to come home. _

_"Emmy, I'm so sorry. We were out drinking and I drank too much so I couldn't drive right away so I stayed for a bit at st…" Maya started rambling out only to be cut off by the light suddenly being switched on. _

_"Maya. I don't care what happened. How many times do I have to tell you that if you are going to be late or not come home, just to let me know. A simple text just so I know you're safe. I was worried all night!" Emily spews, clearly heated. _

_"I'm really sorry. I should have texted. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again" Maya was genuinely sorry but also not the best at remembering her promises. Emily looks skeptically at her girlfriend fully knowing the reality of the situation. It probably would happen again but at least she was honest about what happened. A few seconds go by before her face lightens. It was hard for her to stay mad at the beautiful woman standing before her. _

_"Come here", Emily says quietly as she beckons for Maya. The very tired girl crosses the room, happy that her girlfriend seems to understand the situation. She is accepted on to the girl's lap and snuggles her head into the girl's chest. "I just want to know you're safe," Emily continues, running her hand through Maya's hair. "I love you."_

_"I love you too." _

It took a long time and several more incidents for Emily to not be mad anymore when Maya got home extremely late or not at all. It still frustrated her, especially on a day like today when she knew that Maya would most likely spend the entire next day sleeping instead of spending time with her like she had promised. She would have to find something else to do instead. If she could fall asleep that is. The task was still proving difficult now with worrying about Maya added to the thoughts of Paige in her head. She turns in bed again and watches the time on her clock change.

5:48 AM

Emily groans. It's beginning to look like sleep isn't happening in her near future.

"It's a good thing I don't work today," she mutters into the darkness. 'Maybe I can spend the day getting Paige McCullers out of my head' she adds in her thoughts. 'Or maybe my girlfriend will come home and I'll get to spend some time with her.'

***DING* **

Emily's phone chimes dragging her from her internal battle to signal she has a text. She grabs her phone and squints her eyes at the piercing light emitting from her phone.

**Sowrry baby o cant come home Dfunk At starcys lobe u**

"Oh boy," Emily says rolling her eyes. It took her a minute to interpret the text from Maya but at least she knew the girl was safe and at Stacy's. The fact that she was just now texting meant Maya was probably not coming home until this evening. She would most likely sleep it off at her friend's house. Now if only she could sleep as well. She sends a quick text back saying telling her girlfriend to be safe and that she loves her back before setting her phone back on the night stand and rolling onto her back. Emily stares at the ceiling, attempting to be sleepy but the eyes come back. She can hear the rasp in the girl's voice. The rasp that made her feel all warm inside. She can see Paige dipping her head out of playful nervousness. Emily sits up.

"Get out of my head," she gasps out in frustration.

6:00 AM

Emily fully accepts at this point that there is no going to sleep so instead of fighting it she gets up and heads to the closet. Might as well get the day started earlier and find something else to do besides lying in bed, pining over someone she interacted with for less than thirty minutes. She decides to start out by going to The Brew. Yes she works there but that doesn't change the fact that they are basically the only good coffee shop in town and Emily likes coffee so she's there a lot in and out of apron. She's in the middle of putting on her jeans when she remembers that Spencer, being the nerd and straight-A student she is, likes to wake up early and spend her morning studying at The Brew. Maybe she'll see her there and be able to talk to her about this conflict in her head. Spencer always gave the best advice. Maybe she would know how to deal with this.

It doesn't take Emily long to get to the coffee shop after getting dressed. She doesn't live far away. The familiar scent of brewing coffee and steamed milk greets her as she opens the door. It's a scent she'll never grow tired of. It's warm, inviting and cozy. But, today, something is different. There's an electricity in the shop she's only ever felt once, last night, when Paige walked in. She tries to dismiss it, shaking it off as she spots Spencer in her usual corner. Maybe she feels that way just because this is where she met Paige. A residual reminder of the butterflies she had felt.

"Hey Spence," Emily greets as she sits down across from her friend. Spencer as always on a Saturday morning is bent over an open textbook and notebook. It seemed to Emily as though her friend never stopped studying sometimes. Emily imagined that she would be constantly studying as well if she too was prelaw.

"Oh hey there Em," Spencer greets back leaning back in her chair as a grin grows on her face. She almost looked mischievous to Emily but she couldn't think of anything Spencer could possibly be up to this early on a Saturday. "What are you doing here so early? Even better why are you here at all? The strapping new guy at the counter said you were off today," Spencer elaborates taking a sip from her almost finished coffee. Emily usually wasn't the earliest riser. She usually didn't come join Spencer till later if at all on Saturday's they were usually her days to sleep in, catch up on rest or hang out with Maya. Spencer's curiosity wasn't unfounded.

"I couldn't sleep. Something happened last night that I really want to talk to you about. Plus Maya got drunk at a friend's house so she's probably not coming home till late," Emily remarks as she picks up a pencil lying next to her and twirls it between her fingers. She suddenly wonders why it's here instead of by Spencer. The same with the book and notebook facing her direction. Was Spencer here with someone? Her thoughts are pulled from the objects when Spencer speaks again.

"Something happened, huh? Something between you and Maya?" The grin on Spencer's face grows, she of course has a feeling as to what Emily is referring but she plays it off, not giving away the fact that Paige is her roommate. Emily actually knows this, Spencer recalls telling her when Paige had moved in back in August.

_"I have a new roommate," Spencer says nonchalantly over her coffee cup. The remarks causes Emily to curiously raise her head from the book she's reading. _

_"Oh? And how's that going for you," she replies with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Spencer hasn't had the best luck with roommates. They tend to not understand Spencer or her rather blunt way of viewing the world. She has a tendency to cycle through roommates fast because of it. _

_"Not bad actually," Spencer retorts. "She leaves me alone mostly. You should meet her. She told me she was gay." _

_"So I would like her because I too am gay?" Emily scoffs back. "That's not really how this works Spence. Plus, I already have a girlfriend." She leans back in her chair wondering where her friend was going with this. _

_"Not like that Em. She's from California. I thought maybe you two could get together so you could show her around. Maybe take her to some of the more gay-friendly spots in town. She could use a friend besides me." It was true that Spencer liked her new roommate especially more than the others. She was the strong, silent type. Plus, she put up with Spencer's little rants and interjections to the point where it seemed they almost interested the girl. _

_"Ok yeah, I could do that."_

But she never did look any further into getting together with Spencer's roommate. Granted things got busy for Emily, but it was also apparent to Spencer in this moment that Emily had forgotten completely that she even had a roommate at all.

"Well, this girl, walked in while I was working last night. It was weird. Not weird in a get out of my shop cause you're freaking me out way, but in a weird electricity that, I'm kind of feeling now way." Emily was rambling. It was clear to Spencer that Paige wasn't the only one that was slightly enamored from there encounter yesterday. Spencer was also the only one who knew that they were both in the same place at the same time yet again. That was until Paige came back from getting more coffee. Emily had walked right by the line as usual so she didn't notice Paige standing there playing on her phone as she waited for her turn to order. It wouldn't be long before the brunette made her way back to the chair currently taken up Emily Fields.

Spencer wasn't sure how this would play out. In fact, the whole morning, including her suggesting Paige come with her to study was quite like an experiment. It's not that she didn't like Maya, she was a good person after all, she just didn't like the way she always treated Emily sometimes. Maya always seemed to think more about herself than her significant other.

"Hmmm, I see," Spencer replies trying not to look away from Emily to check on where Paige might be. "Would you want to see her again? I mean I know you have a girlfriend, but can't lesbians be just friends with each other?"

"Ha, ha, Spencer. Yes, it's possible to be friends," Emily teases back fully aware of her friend's sarcastic tone. She continues to twirl the pencil as she contemplates the possibility of seeing Paige again. It only takes a second for Emily to determine that, yes she probably would really like to see Paige again. "Yeah, I think I would, like to see her again," she adds softly with a timid smile, her eyes downcast. Spencer takes the moment to glance out into the café to see Paige walking back with two cups. She seems distracted causing her to be looking at placement of her steps on the ground rather than the new addition to the table see was heading to.

"Well, here's your chance," Spencer directs toward Emily causing the Raven-haired girl to look up questioningly. Spencer looks to her right, non-verbally directing Emily to do the same. The raven-haired girl slows casts her eyes in the direction of Spencer's, her breath catching in her throat as she sees the brown eyed beauty from last night. Its then that Emily suddenly remembers the conversation she and Spencer had back in August about Spencer's new roommate named Paige.


End file.
